Video and management for mobile seen as next big things

Computerworld - SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Improved wireless device management tools and IP-based video-over-wireless applications were among the future technologies that attendees at this week's Mobile & Wireless World 2005 conference said they hope to see within the next few years.
The conference, which was organized by Computerworld and attended by about 300 IT managers, featured more than 20 case-study presentations by companies and government agencies that use mobile devices and wireless networks. But discussions also focused on what will come next as more companies link their database servers and applications such as e-mail and ERP systems to handheld devices.
Several IT managers said they're looking for the ability to use embedded tools to centrally manage handhelds in order to make sure that the devices are secure and are running the designated applications.
For example, Laura Amato, IT contracts manager at PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. in Walnut Creek, Calif., said such tools could provide an additional level of security on top of policies that PMI has set to restrict the type of devices and applications that can be used by its several hundred handheld users.
During a session at the conference, Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of Intel Corp.'s mobile computing operations, said the chip maker plans to introduce its promised Active Management Technology (AMT) for wireless-enabled laptop PCs within the next two years.
"We will try to hide a little IT manager in each notebook," Eden said jokingly, adding that AMT will rely on "out of band" connectivity to aid in monitoring systems. If a laptop is attacked by a virus even in a disconnected state, IT staffers will be able to use a wireless back-channel to monitor the problem and send software patches, which can automatically be forwarded to other systems, Eden said.
Rob Leach, Intel's worldwide marketing manager for mobile solutions, said AMT will first appear in desktop PCs, then in laptops with wireless adapters. Support for handhelds is further off but "is definitely envisioned," he said.
Steve McCarthy, mobile technical services manager at DHL Information Systems Inc. in Scottsdale, said he was impressed with Intel's plans for AMT. DHL supports a variety of mobile devices for its delivery and office workers, and McCarthy said that management capabilities are increasingly in demand.
Many companies are asking for more handheld management functions, such as the ability to wipe a device clean of data from a remote location if it falls into the wrong hands, said Christian Adans, group strategy director at Integrated Network Solutions, an integrator in Ottignies, Belgium.